The United States is gearing up to make history on January 25 by attempting to land the craft Peregrine on the moon. With no one on board, the lander was developed by American company Astrobotic and will carry NASA instruments to study the lunar environment, in anticipation of NASA’s Artemis manned missions. This mission is part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to develop a lunar economy and provide transport services at a lower cost. However, only about half of the missions that have gone to the surface of the moon have been successful, making it a daunting challenge.
The lander will take off on December 24 from Florida aboard the inaugural flight of the new rocket from the ULA industrial group, named Vulcan Centaur. The probe will then take “a few days” to reach lunar orbit and will have to wait until January 25 before attempting landing, so that light conditions at the target location are right. The descent will be carried out autonomously, without human intervention, but will be monitored from the company’s control center. In addition to Astrobotic, NASA has signed contracts with other companies, such as Firefly Aerospace, Draper, and Intuitive Machines. The mission acknowledges the risks involved, but it is an initial step in establishing a lunar economy. With its Artemis program, NASA is looking to establish a base on the surface of the moon.
